scubasteve92 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 So I am a newbie and have had my first tank for about 3 months, it is going good, except for some alage problems (stopped adding tap water and now top off with ro/di). I have a pair of clowns, a fire goby, and a banner cardinal, along with a typical cleaner pack. I plan on adding some corals, probably acans, zoas, and a chalice, and maybe more just depends on money and the size. I was wondering if I need a circulation pump? I have a hangon filter and it moves the water around very well but I have been told that i need more. Do i really? or is it preference? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Yes, it will help a lot for fish and for coral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share Posted November 12, 2011 Even for a 20g? I mean, Im not going to disagree, just perplexed. Which one would you recommend, that is not too expensive ($30-$50) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Girl Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I have a koralia nano in my 29g. It came with my setup so not sure how much it costs. Flow is definitely good to help keep detritus and nuisance algaes from settling on the substrate and also oxygenating the water as well. If you dont have any corals and are thinking of getting some in the future, there are certain corals that need good flow (most need a moderate). Once you do get the powerhead (circulating pump) in there, it might take a a couple different tries to get the positioning right. You ultimately want to avoid dead spots (places where there is little water turnover/movement) such as areas under a rock cave etc... So that is why with powerheads you can achieve the extra flow to get that water moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share Posted November 12, 2011 ok, that sounds good. I just didnt want to spend $150 or more on a powerhead.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Many corals are quite expensive, including some of the ones you mention (acans and chalices), and skimping on the necessary equipment (lights and flow) to support that coral is not the right way to go about the investment in a saltwater tank. You should do research on what the corals you want need to thrive (not just live, but thrive) so that you can be sure you're providing it. As far as flow for a 20g, a Koralia will do just fine for softies and LPS without breaking the bank, but it all depends on what you want to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 that makes since. I am just going to maintain the tank, and research more and get coral in a month or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 i have a t5 dual light system, 10k and actinic, is that enough for them to thrive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 How many watts are those bulbs. U want at least like 4 watts a gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 In my biocube 29 I just put in 2 of the 425 GPH koralia nanos and also upgrade my stock pump to a rio 6hf which has about 330 GPH, added a hydor flo to the tip of the pump and I think I have eliminated all of my dead spots. I plan to also build a sump to go into my stand and drop a rio 8 hf into there piping it up to replace the rio 6 hf. At that point I should have enough circulation and water to start looking towards an LED retrofit. After I get my led lights installed I'll be saving for corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 How many watts are those bulbs. U want at least like 4 watts a gallon. I have two 24 watt bulbs..... for 20 gallons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 2 of the 425 GPH koralia nanos Putting an order in for these soon. I have looked around and heard and read that these work pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I happened to buy mine off newegg.com but the best price otherwise was ebay member selling two shipped for about 50 bucks. I chose newegg because I had a $50 credit with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 sweet, sounds great! thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 How many watts are those bulbs. U want at least like 4 watts a gallon. I have two 24 watt bulbs..... for 20 gallons. That's 2.4 watts a gallon. They'll live but they won't thrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 As far as lighting goes it depends on what you want to keep. Many of your corals will have brighter colors under more intense lighting but you can have a pretty tank with the lighting you have. As far as water flow many people like to see a lot of motion in their tanks but many corals will do fine without heavy flow rates. Here's a 240 gal. tank I've maintained for 4 years now with tap water, lighting is 2 250 watt MH. circulation is a Korallia 550 in each back corner, an Aquaclear in the middle blowing across the back and an Aquaclear 70 running a UV. No external or internal filtration. I would encourage you to add corals sooner than later. From what I've read and my experience setting up and maintaining aquariums has led me to believe is corals are critical components to establishing a healthy reef ecosystem and need to be introduced as soon as the ammonia is no longer detectable and there are no major fluctuations in pH and Alk. Obviously you would not want to stock it with pricy "collector" pieces until your tank is "mature" (8 - 12 months) but there are a lot of cultured colorful species available that are inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks! I am wanting to head down to austin in a few weeks to hang out with some friends and bring my gf home, and i plan on going by austin aqua farms and picking up an acan, and some zoas. Would those be ok, not too expensive I also may get some mushrooms from my LFS in a week or so just so I can have something in there to see how they will do before I get too far into buying nicer ones. Awesome tank btw, love the set up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I think the Discoma sp. mushrooms are a great addition to a tank and excellent to start with. I know some people don't like them because they can be a nuisance as they spread but I've rarely had much difficulty controlling them and they do well in some of the darker corners that may not get enough light for other animals. While I would avoid the pricey varieties until a tank is mature , many of the hardier zoa/paly varieties I add as soon as possible use as well. Glad you like the tank! I prefer to have a sump on a tank but this one shows that what is important is not technology but consistant maintenance, patience and paying attention to how the animals are doing and interacting (only about $300 was spent on the corals for this tank). Also with regard to your comment about algae. When you first set up a tank you should expect algae. When I first set up a tank for the first 4 or 5 months I don't take any steps to deal with it outside of syphoning it off when I do water changes and adding the animals I want to use long term for controlling it. Algae is a fundamental part of a marine ecosystem and in the wild it may comprise as much as 85% of the biomass of a reef system and is always the majority. What I feel is over looked is the corals aggressively compete for nutrients to feed their symbiotic zooxanthellae algae and are arguably central to a healthy reef ecosystem. Trying to establish first a healthy ecosystem THEN introduce corals I feel is far more problematic for success as other algae are given the time to establish themselves than establishing an ecosystem with corals from the beginning. Bear in mind no matter how you set up a reef ecosystem it still takes many months for it to mature so be patient getting delicate or pricy acquisitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 ok, thanks! how would a birds nest coral do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaarrrggg Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I'd recommend starting with softies like zoas and mushrooms, then move onto LPS (large polyped stoney coral) like acans and chalices when you're comfortable with managing them. Lastly once you're system is mature you can try SPS (small polyped stonies) like bitdsnest, as they tend to need higher flow/light and better/more consistent water params. Going in that order tends to end in less casualties. Be prepared to lose some along the way though. I still have trouble with some LPS... and the 2 SPS I've tried (one birdsnest) both died. It's all a learning curve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 (edited) thanks, that sounds like what i need to do, do i need to get 2x 425 gph koralia nanos then? I was thinking getting one for and then later once i move to atx and upgrade my tank and get the other one? Edited November 16, 2011 by scubasteve92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warlock Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 how are am i supposed to figure out or calculate flow for a 20gallon? koralia nano seem like a good one that is talked about alot.. but do i need 1 or 2. of the 240 or 425? i haven't figured that out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I ran a 800gph powerhead, AC70, and a 20 gallon HOB filter modified to be a surface skimmer in my 20L QT/frag tank and everything was growing like crazy and the fish seemed fine with plenty of PVC L's on the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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